Talking To The Moon
by pinkkoala213
Summary: He knew she was out there, somewhere far away. GrayxErza/Grayza. Slight angst, and involves Gray going a bit crazy. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! So I got this idea from listening to "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars. It's angsty at first, and involves Gray going a little crazy! ;) I'm deciding whether to continue it or not, so let me know what you think! Enjoy, and leave a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

Gray was sitting at the guild bar. He took another sip of the alcoholic drink in his hand. He wasn't one to drink the alcohol, but there were exceptions.

He looked across the guild. Everyone was coupled up amongst themselves: Natsu and Lucy talking at a table, Gajeel looking over Levy's shoulder as she read a book; even his past 'stalker' Juvia was at a table with Lyon. It seemed that for the past month everyone was coupled up…except for Gray.

Natsu stood up and ran to Gray, Lucy close behind. "Hey, Ice Princess! Are you ready to take me on, or what?" Natsu demanded, a fist held up to Gray. Gray gave a death glare to the dragon slayer in front of him. "I'm not in the mood." he muttered. "C'mon, Gray! It's been a long time since we last had a fight!" Natsu begged, his fist still aimed at Gray. Natsu was right; it _had_ been a long time since they fought. It was now exactly a month. _When she left… _Gray thought.

Just then, there was movement in the guild. Gray's eyes widened. Although he couldn't see well with Natsu in front of him, he could've sworn he saw a woman with scarlet hair walking towards the door.

"Earth to Gray!" Natsu shouted, but he stopped when he saw Gray's expression. The ice mage was looking past him, a disbelieving look on his face.

Gray watched the redheaded woman slip out the guild doors without making a sound. He jumped out of his chair. Natsu stepping out of the way, surprised. "NO ONE TOLD ME THAT ERZA WAS HERE?!" he demanded. All eyes were now on him, their faces surprised. "WHY DIDN'T ANY OF YOU TELL ME?! SOMEONE, ANYONE WAS SUPPOSED TO TELL ME WHEN SHE GOT BACK!" he continued to shout. His yells were met with blank faces.

Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder. "Gray, you should probably-" she said gently, but Gray shook off her hand. Now hurt, Lucy took a step back, and Natsu put an arm around her. "I can't believe any of you!" Gray shouted once more, and sprinted outside in hopes to find the redhead he saw earlier.

He looked out around the area outside the guild, the doors now closed behind him. It was nighttime, the stars and the moon lighting up the sky. _Where are you?! _he thought. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. _She's going to the riverbank! _he thought, and sprinted in that direction.

He stopped when he got there, catching his breath. "I could've sworn she went here…" he murmured, and looked around. The area was deserted; there was no trace of the woman he saw earlier.

…if she was even there…

Gray came to the realization that there may have never been a woman to start with. He collapsed to his knees in front of the river, his arms at his sides, staring up at the moon. "WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" he shouted at the glowing white circle, hoping **she** could somehow hear him.

"Gray!" Lucy shouted, and she and Natsu ran to him. Gray let out choked sobs, a single hand over his face, still on his knees. "Gray, c'mon. You gotta get some rest." Natsu gently told his comrade, as he and Lucy slowly put Gray's arms over their shoulders. They walked him home, Gray not saying anything the whole time. A couple tears slid down his face, the small drops of water landing on near Lucy's foot every time she took a step forward. She frowned in surprise, and turned to Gray, only to see his darkened expression. A wave of sorrow for her friend passed over her. _Of everyone, **her **leave hurt him the most..._ she thought.

They had finally made it to Gray's house. Gray opened the door and stepped inside. Lucy and Natsu were watching him. "…Thank you." he whispered. His friends just nodded as he closed the door behind him. "I hope he's okay." Lucy murmured. Natsu nodded, and the two walked back to the guild.

X

Gray was now sitting in his bed, but he couldn't sleep. He stared out the window. The moon and the stars filled his dark room with a chilling white light. It was eerie and cold, but he liked it.

"Where are you?" he asked out loud.

He closed his eyes as he recalled the event that happened a month ago.

_Erza was in his room, looking through his closet. "What do you want, again?" Gray asked her._

_"I need to borrow one of your jackets; mine ripped. I don't want to freeze outside." she explained._

_"You're asking for one this late at night?"_

_"You don't seem to mind."_

_ Gray smirked. He was glad that Erza was here with him. After holding back his feelings towards her for a long time, he was hoping to confess to her today._

_"Y'know that mission Master was talking about?" Gray asked, breaking the silence._

_"Yes, what about it?" Erza asked, still rummaging through his closet._

_"I'm glad we're not taking it. It seemed out of our reach, and…well…" he took a breath, and then continued, "I don't want you in danger." He waited for her response._

_She froze, his long, white jacket now gripped in her hand. "Gray, that's incredibly…thoughtful of you." she spoke. She turned around with an uneasy smile. "What's wrong?" Gray asked when he saw her expression._

_"About the mission…" Erza said as she stared at the ground, pivoting a toe in the floor, "I'm taking it."_

_Gray looked at her, jaw dropped. Anger and fear for her welled up inside him. "You're…what?!" he gasped. "I said, I've accepted the mission." she replied, stronger than before. "Erza, you can't!" Gray shouted, "It's far too dangerous, and the description clearly stated that there was a good chance of dying!"_

_"Gray! We've done missions before, some far more dangerous than this one. This is nothing I can't handle!" Erza snapped back._

_"But you'll be alone! Our team won't be able to be there for you if anything goes wrong!"_

_"Are you saying that I can't handle this on my own?!"_

_"I'm just worried, Erza! You haven't done something completely on your own, and I want to be there for you! You can't go!"_

_"Gray, how could you be so selfish? Of everyone, I thought that you would understand the best." Erza said, and exited the room._

_"Erza, you can't go! Come back!" Gray pleaded, following her through his house. She had already opened the front door by the time he caught up with her. "Goodbye, Gray." she said, and left._

_Gray shouted after her, but she kept walking. He knew his pleas were going nowhere. He watched her leave, the moon shining down on him._

He opened his eyes. He remembered that the day after, Erza had already left. Since then, he had many 'events' happen, similar to what happened at the guild today. He probably looked crazy, but no one could understand how much Erza meant to him.

She was somewhere out there, far away. She could be dead. And she left with a fight between them. What's worse is that Gray never told her his feelings.

"I know you're out there…" he whispered, before falling into a restless sleep.

* * *

So, what do you think? Should I continue? :)

See ya laterrrrr!

~pinkkoala213


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

By the time Gray woke up, it was already afternoon. He got up to get dressed. He opened his closet…and saw a hanger in the center of the rack. It was the only one without anything on it. Sorrow stabbed at him, and he almost broke down again. _I can't waste my time crying. I have to be strong…like her. _

He grabbed the first outfit he could find, and left his house. _Maybe getting out will be good for me,_ he thought, as he headed for downtown Magnolia.

He walked through the busy streets, a slight smile forced on his face. The loud talking of the townspeople around him suddenly dropped to a couple murmurs. Gray looked around, and everyone seemed to be staring at him. Some people were pointing, and others whispering.

"That's Gray Fullbuster!"

"Is he alright?"

"Apparently he went mad last night…something at the guild!"

_They probably found out about my…incident last night. _he thought, and continued walking. They didn't know what was going on with him.

He was walking through the streets, trying his best to keep his head held high, when he heard it.

**"GRAY."**

He froze in his tracks. The townspeople around him were still watching him, scared that something would happen.

He knew that voice. It was Erza's, and it sounded like she was in trouble. He whipped his head around, back and forth. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Erza?!" he asked out loud. He looked around again, but no one was there.

"Oh my gosh, he's having another episode!" and "Gray really is crazy!" were the reactions of those around him.

**"Gray…help me…"** She was there again, in his head. Gray frowned. "I'm coming, just hang on!" he muttered angrily, and ran to the guild.

"MASTER!" he shouted as he pushed open the doors. The small, old man looked at Gray, who was now sprinting towards him. "Gray, child, what's the matter?" he asked. "Where is Erza?!" Gray demanded. Makarov, thinking nothing of Gray's request, handed him the paper that contained the mission details.

Gray grabbed the paper, and ran off. "Gray!" Master shouted after him, but he was already gone. "Master, where is Gray going?!" Lucy, who had watched the whole thing happen, asked. Natsu was right behind her. "Yeah, where's he headed?! Let us help him!" the dragon slayer agreed. Both looked determined to help Gray, and their faces sank when Makarov shook his head. "This is Gray's task, let him go." Natsu and Lucy nodded, worried looks on their faces. "I trust he knows what he's doing…" Makarov murmured.

* * *

The creatures growled at her. Erza couldn't see anything, except for the four pairs of red eyes glowing back at her. She clenched her teeth, and requiped into her flight armor. With lightning speed, she attacked the giant creatures, their loud cries piercing the night air. It got quiet after a short bit, and she stopped. "That's the last of them." she panted, and turned to leave.

Just then, she saw it: a flash of red eyes. _There's one more!_ she realized, and tried to slash the beast with a sword. She was fast, but it was faster. She felt the animal bite her, its teeth sinking into her arm. She screamed, before shoving a sword into its body.

The animal fell to the ground, and so did Erza. "Shit!" she cursed, holding her arm. She lifted her hand as she examined her injury, and winced. She was bleeding badly. Just then, a voice called out in the night.

"You can run, Erza Scarlet, but you can't hide. Not from me." _What the hell?! _She looked up at the dark sky, the treetops barely letting the moonlight in. She panted, and heard distant barking noises. _I need to get out of here! But my arm…_

_I must keep going! _she decided, and began to run.

Erza ran until she reached the shoreline. She turned around, and turned back, knowing she wasn't being followed. She kneeled on the ground, and hastily wrapped a bandage around her bleeding arm. The moon shone brightly down on her, and the waves of the sea in front of her were calm.

She had been on this mission for a month. It was simple: just stop a band of thieves from stealing the town's belongings. However, rumors were going around that the thieves were evil wizards with S-Class strength, which is why her team didn't accept it. But when Erza saw how horribly the town was affected by the robberies, she took the mission.

She had spent the month's time discreetly observing the gang's activities, and making plans of attack. After finding their headquarters today, she decided to attack. After defeating the last thief in the gang, she was chased into the forest by these horrible creatures. They were big, furry beasts that resembled vicious dogs, with cheetah speeds. These creatures were being controlled by their master, Damien, who was the gang leader.

Now that she was safe for the time being, she requiped into her normal fighting robes. She almost toppled over. _My injury…it's making me a little dizzy…I don't have a lot of energy left. _she thought. Just then, something moved out of her vision. She turned, and saw…

"Gra-ay…?" she breathed. His back was to her, and he was standing to the side of the shoreline. "Gray, what are you doing here?!" she demanded.

No response.

Erza stood up and staggered to him, reaching her good arm out to him. "G-Gray, please. You have to go; the leader will get you too." she told him, but Gray wouldn't budge. She reached out to grab him, and then fell. Shocked, she knelt on the cold sand, realizing that "Gray" was only part of her imagination.

Without realizing it, she requiped into her normal armor, but Gray's coat was around her. It was tattered and beat up; the blood from her arm was well in the fabric. Regardless, she wrapped it around her tightly.

_He told me not to go. He warned me. But I didn't listen._ Erza thought, _And now here I am, imagining he was with me, when he was still back home._

"Gray…I'm sorry!" she cried out, a tear falling.

"Erza Scarlet." A voice spoke. Erza froze, and stood up. _Shit, he found me! _she realized, and gulped. She turned around, a sword in her good arm and her bandaged one. Hate was etched on her face.

The leader of the thieves, Damien, stared back at her, an evil smile on his lips. "I'm surprised to see you lasted this long. Did you have fun with my pets?" he smirked. Erza gave him an icy glare. "You shall be punished for what you did to this town." she spoke. Damien just laughed. "Oh, silly Erza. How can I be punished, when there's no one to do so?" Erza grit her teeth.

"Besides, when I'm through with you, the famous 'Titania Erza' will be nothing but a legend." he grinned sinisterly, and moved toward Erza with a magic staff. Erza lashed out both of her swords, but Damien was too quick. A blue ray zapped the top of her shoulder, and she let out a scream. Her swords disappeared, and she fell to the ground, defenseless.

"Your staff…that magic is forbidden." Erza sputtered.

"Well done, Erza. You're right; my staff emits magic that eliminates the power of all other magic. It also paralyzes the victim. So long as it stays whole, it will continue to absorb all the energy you have." Damien spoke. "In short, my dear, you are now worthless." he added. Erza grit her teeth, trying to move to attack him, but he was right; she was completely paralyzed. He laughed maniacally, "The day has come! The Great Erza is now cowering at my knees!"

He tilted his staff upward, and Erza was thrown up by the magic force and pinned to a tree. The bark was digging into her back, and the blood from her arm was dripping on the ground. She could barely keep up with her surroundings. _I guess I'm bleeding more than I thought…_

Damien walked up to her. Erza's eyes were drooping, and the whole place was slowly spinning. "It's just us, Erza. Do you have any last words?" he smirked, and put a sword to her neck. The tip of the blade was just poking her skin; any small movement now and she would be a goner.

"You. Will. Be. Punished!" she spat out. Damien just laughed. "This is the end, Erza." he growled, and lifted the sword to swing at her. Erza shut her eyes and tilted her head back, doing anything to dodge the attack, when she heard a dull "clunk."

She opened her eyes the best she could. She could make out a shield around her, but it was slightly clear. _…Ice?_ she realized.

"How dare you do this." a new voice spoke. Erza's heart beat faster, and she tried to keep her eyes open. "G-Gray?!" she shouted. She suddenly fell to the ground, and the ice shield moved with her. She looked through the shield, and saw that Gray had broken Damien's staff in half.

Damien and Gray were in front of her, battling each other. Damien was fierce, but Gray looked determined to win. Erza pounded the glass. "Gray, please, let me help you!" He didn't say anything, so she tried again.  
"Let me out!" she shouted. Gray ignored her, and continued fighting. She yelled in frustration, and suddenly got weak.  
"You can't do this for me!" she cried, pounding the glass. She still went ignored. "Gray, you can't…you…can't…" Black spots started to fill her vision. Her yells silenced, and she collapsed to the ground, falling on her side.

"Th—thank you…" she stammered, and coughed up blood. Gray had finally knocked out Damien, and he saw Erza fall. "ERZA!" he called, and ran to her. He broke the shield that surrounded her, and propped her up, her head on his bent knee.

"Erza, no!" Gray shouted, but she could barely hear him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger..." she whispered, and everything went black.

* * *

WELL, there's Chapter 2! (Finally!) This story will officially be a 3-shot. Sorry about the language, too :P Thank you for all the reviews, and your patience! I know it took a while to write, but I couldn't decide how the story would go, until I got a rush of inspiration today. If you have the time, please leave a review! Thanksss :3

-pinkkoala213


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_"Erza, no!" Gray shouted, but Erza could barely hear him. She could feel the warmth of his body, his hand below her head. With the strength she had, she took in a breath. "I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger..." she whispered, and everything went black.  
_**

...

_Am I…dead?_  
Erza's eyes shot open, and she sat upright with a gasp. She looked at her hands. They were wrapped in bandages. She tried stretching her arms, when she felt a sharp pain. She hissed, and looked at her heavily bandaged arm. "Oh, it's good to see you're up, Miss Scarlet!" a cheery voice greeted. Erza turned, and saw a nurse smiling back at her. The nurse was holding a pitcher of water.

"How…how long have I been here?" Erza asked dazedly. "Not too long," the nurse responded, and Erza sighed, "just a few days!"

Erza flinched. "A few days?!" she gasped.

"Yes, more or less. You lost a lot of blood, Miss Scarlet, and your injuries were pretty serious." the nurse answered.

"How did I get here?" Erza asked.

"A young man brought you here. He was pretty beat up as well, but you gave him the strength to push on, I think. Your guildmates were worried you wouldn't make it, and-"

"The man you mentioned. What did he look like?" Erza interrupted.

"He had black hair, I believe. Also, very muscular. I can't remember his name, though." The nurse pursed her lips.

"Is he still here?"

"Oh, no. He left after two days, for a mission with your other two friends. The blonde and the pink were worried about leaving you behind, but he was insistent on going." The nurse continued filling empty glasses and vases, talking as she did so. "Y'know, he went crazy for a bit. He's had strange situations this past month. Fortunately, nothing has happened this week." she said with a laugh.

_So Gray went…crazy? _Erza thought. "How long will their mission be?" she asked.

"I can't say I know. But don't worry, he'll be back soon. Especially with you calling for him in your sleep." she added with a wink.

Erza blushed briefly. "Um, do you mind if I rest a bit? I'm sorry, I'm just…very tired." the scarlet haired woman asked, feigning exhaustion. "Oh, of course! Sorry to keep you awake," the nurse apologized, and walked to the door, "Try not to move a lot; let yourself recover! Your injuries need to heal." she smiled, and then closed the door after her.

Now alone, Erza flexed her feet in the bed. Her hamstrings stretched; her legs sore. She flexed her fingertips again, the pain in her arm not as strong. The other cuts and bruises on her body were well taken care of.

Slowly, she stood up out of the bed, glad the hospital didn't wire her to any medication. She requiped into her normal armor, bandages still on. A garment hanging over a chair caught her eye. She picked it up. _Gray's jacket..._she realized. Or, the remains of it. The cloak was dirty and torn in different places, not to mention the now dry blood that coated the right sleeve. Without another thought, she put the jacket on. She requiped into her normal attire as well, and then walked to the window.

"I can probably get out this way…" she muttered, looking outside and seeing that her room was on ground level. Her eyes settled on a lever that was on the window pane. She put her hand around it, leaning her body against the glass. "I wonder if this will…" she muttered, and pulled the lever. The window opened abruptly, and Erza almost shrieked as she fell out. Now outside, she quickly stood up and dusted herself off.

She looked at the sun, and saw it was about to set. "I better get going." she decided, creeping out of the hospital grounds. If Gray was already out on a mission, shouldn't she be too?

Erza trudged through the damp grounds of Magnolia. The pain of her injuries was still there, but another pain lay beneath all of that.

Her broken heart.

She clenched her teeth, knowing that the only one who could fix it was Gray.

She kept walking.

_Gray had warned her not to go on the mission. But she told him she was strong enough._

_She was wrong._

She kicked a stone out of the way.

_She had visions of Gray while she was away._

_Sometimes, he would talk to her._

_…But it was never real._

The sky dimmed.

_She had tried to be strong, but she wasn't good enough._

_He had to save her._

She bit her lip, trying to keep the tears from falling.

_He shouldn't have saved her._

_What good was his help, when she couldn't help herself?_

Her fists clenched.

_Not only that, Gray had brought her back. Safe and sound._

_She didn't even defeat the enemy, yet she was in the hospital longer than he was._

_…How could she let that happen?_

She had made it to the riverbank, knowing it was a shortcut to another town. "Just a little further…" she told herself, walking away from Magnolia.

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice spoke.

Erza froze, her heart stopping in her chest. She spun around. Gray was standing there, wearing a long, gray coat over his clothes, a thumb rooted casually in his pants pocket.

"G-Gray?" she stammered, not believing he was in front of her. She staggered forward, a hand out, and her fingertips made contact with his shoulder. She breathed a sigh of relief, and he grinned. "I take it you've been well?" he spoke.

"Gray, you…you saved me."

"I did." he spoke. He wasn't sarcastic, Erza noted, he was simply answering her statement.

"…Why?" she asked, scared for the answer.

Gray shifted his weight. "Erza, I know this might sound so sudden, but I've been meaning to say it for a while," he said, stepping closer to her, "I love you."

Erza caught her breath. _He…loves me._

She loved Gray too. In fact, she wanted to love him so badly. But she knew she couldn't. As much as she didn't want to believe it, what if her attraction to him was only because he saved her so many times?

"Gray, I love you too, but…it wouldn't be real. You…you have to let me go." Erza spoke in a small voice.

Gray looked at her, surprised. "Erza, I…?! What do you mean?! How can you say that?!" he asked.

"Gray, you saved me so many times. I know I do love you, but what if part of my love is only because of that? Therefore I can't love you now, especially when I wasn't able to save myself. Your help has…gone to waste." she told him, and continued, "I think I-"

All of a sudden, something slammed into Erza's stomach. She could feel herself falling over, but Gray was right there to hold her up. She doubled over, eyes wide. _Did...did that _really_ just happen? _she thought. Shock pounded through her body, but she felt no pain. Gray's fist soon left her stomach, and retreated to his side.

"Erza, I know you're stubborn, but this is ridiculous." Gray spoke, his voice low. "How can you be so hard on yourself? You very well know that if this situation was vice-versa, you would do the same for me. You're not as weak as you tell yourself you are." He paused, and then continued.  
"Erza, while you were gone, I…I went crazy. I started seeing you everywhere, hearing your cries for help. I would yell at our guild mates, demanding where you were. I looked like I'd lost my mind. I hoped that you were okay, and I hoped that I would save you. So don't tell me-" He took a breath, "Don't tell me I was hoping for nothing."

A tear slid down Erza's cheek. It was true, she was being ridiculously hard on herself. Why couldn't she see Gray's confession as something other than artificial?

"Gray, I…I went a little crazy too. I started seeing you in places. I would talk to you, but…you weren't really there," Erza spoke, "I know what you mean, but…I want to feel like I've been through what you've been through."

"Erza, I-"

"I need to fall, without you by my side. I'm so sorry." She turned around and continued walking hurriedly, hoping to leave this all behind. Tears welled up behind her eyes, and she prayed that they wouldn't fall. _Does he know how much this hurts me?_

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her wrist. She stopped walking again, and turned. Gray looked at her, not with anger, but with…care. Love. Longing. Tiredness.

He was tired.

Tired of keeping his love for her to himself.

"Erza, listen. I know I just confessed, but we don't have to rush into anything. If you don't think you're ready yet, then we can wait. Just please, promise me you won't leave like that again." Gray spoke softly.

Erza stared at him, tears already streaming down her face. She pulled Gray to her, their arms wrapped around each other in perfect balance. She buried her face in his neck, crying her feelings out.

"I-I promise, Gray. I-I'm so sorry." she managed to get out, still crying. Gray smiled, rubbing her back reassuringly. "It's okay, I know you are," he spoke, "I know."

"And…Gray?" Erza piped up once she calmed down. Gray broke the hug, looking at her from an arm's length away. "I…well, thank you for everything." Gray grinned. "Anytime, Scarlet." he said, pulling her in again. They stood in their embrace, the sunset's warm colors splashing over them.

Although it was silent, the unspoken words "I love you" were exchanged between them, loud and clear.

**THE END**

* * *

Sorry if they were too OOC, I wanted to make Erza the vulnerable-on-the-inside badass and Gray a little more sensitive. Anyway, I would go into a long apology paragraph explaining why this took so long, but I'll just leave it at "dumb laptop problems." Thanks for all your support on the story! I have lots more on the way. Until next time :)

~pinkkoala213


End file.
